Groot DermaSurgery Centre - Certified Non-hospital Surgical Centre

Belkyra

Belkyra ™– a New Treatment for a Double Chin

Belkyra ™ is a new injectable medication that is approved for the treatment and reduction of excess fat under the chin on the upper neck, a condition that is commonly referred to as a “double chin.” This is the first medication of its kind that has been approved by Health Canada. It has also been approved by the FDA in the United States and is known there as Kybella ™. The treatment is non-surgical and non-invasive, and consists of a series of injections of deoxycholic acid, which is a naturally occurring molecule in the body that helps break down fat. When injected into fat cells, it can lead to destruction of some of those fat cells.

What areas can Belkyra treat?

At this time, Belkyra has only been approved for use in the submental area (i.e. the upper neck under the chin). When a person has excess fat in this area, it is called submental fullness. Submental fullness can be caused by a number of factors, including aging, genetics, and weight gain, and is often resistant to diet and exercise alone.

If you are bothered by submental fullness, you are not alone! According to a survey by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS):

67% of people are bothered by under-the-chin fullness

People are bothered by under-the-chin fullness as much as they are by lines and wrinkles around and under their eyes

Submental fullness is a common, under treated condition that can detract from an otherwise balanced and harmonious facial appearance. For some, it can be a source of embarrassment and lower the self-confidence of both men and women. It can exaggerate age and even appear to make individuals look overweight.

Who should not receive Belkyra?

You may not be a candidate if you have an infection in the treatment area; have had surgery on your neck or chin; have had or have trouble swallowing; have bleeding problems; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BELKYRA will harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Is the treatment painful?

When doctors first started doing Belkyra injections, they did not use any freezing or anesthetic but when Dr. Nakatsui asked his patients about pain, many of them told him that there was significant discomfort following injection. The good news was that despite this, they still came back for more because they could see the difference after just one treatment.

As a result, Dr. Nakatsui started using a small amount of anesthetic in conjunction with the injections and patients tell us it makes treatments virtually painless. Those who have done it with and without anesthetic tell us they would never go back to treatments without anesthetic!

How Many Treatments Are Required?

Typically, 2-4 treatments 8 weeks apart are required. Many patients experience visible results in two treatments. Once the aesthetic response is achieved, re-treatment is not usually expected as the fat cells tend to be destroyed.

Appointments

If you would like to learn more about this procedure, call us today at 780-482-1414 to schedule a complimentary consultation.